Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a radiation image capturing system. Specifically, the present invention relates to a radiation image capturing system which can perform long length capturing.
Description of Related Art
As a method of capturing a relatively large range such as the upper half or the lower half of the patient, there is known long length capturing in which a radiation image capturing apparatus (Flat Panel Detector) is irradiated with radiation from a radiation irradiating apparatus while changing the position along a body axis of the captured subject and a plurality of radiation images are captured. Usually, the plural radiation images obtained by the long length capturing are connected by image processing to create one radiation image. Various configurations are known as a configuration of a radiation image capturing system to perform such long length capturing. As one example, the radiation image capturing system as described in FIG. 22 is known.
In other words, the radiation image capturing system positions a collimator 102 including an opening (not shown) between a radiation irradiating apparatus 100 and a radiation image capturing apparatus 101. The position of the opening of the collimator 102 is changed by moving the collimator 102 in the body axis direction of a subject H according to the position of the radiation image capturing apparatus 101 being moved along the body axis A of the subject H without changing the irradiating direction and the irradiating region of the radiation from the radiation irradiating apparatus S. An irradiating field of the radiation irradiated from the radiation irradiating apparatus S is limited by the opening of the collimator 102 to only the necessary range including the radiation image capturing apparatus 101. In this state, the radiation is irradiated from the radiation irradiating apparatus S each time the radiation image capturing apparatus 101 changes the position, in other words, radiation is irradiated a plurality of times to capture a plurality of radiation images. A console (not shown) connects the plurality of radiation images to generate one radiation image of long length capturing (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2013-226243).
According to FIG. 22, the radiation image capturing apparatus 101 is moved to two positions vertically to perform capturing. The number of positions the radiation image capturing apparatus 101 is moved to is suitably determined according to the size of the radiation image capturing apparatus 101 used, the capturing site, or the like. Although not shown, the capturing is not limited to a state in which the subject H is standing, in other words a standing position as shown in FIG. 22. For example, similar long length capturing can be performed when capturing is performed in a state in which the subject H is lying down, in other words a lying position.
However, although not limited to the radiation image capturing system using the collimator 102 as shown in FIG. 22, at least in the conventional radiation image capturing system which performs long length capturing by capturing a plurality of radiation images while moving the radiation image capturing apparatus 101 in the body axis A direction of the subject H, the problem of the subject H moving while the radiation image capturing apparatus 101 moves occurs to some extent (in other words, the problem of body movement). When body movement occurs in even one of the plurality of radiation images, even if the one radiation image is captured again and the image combining processing is performed, it is difficult to obtain a suitable long length image. Therefore, all of the plurality of radiation images need to be captured again and the radiation amount on the patient increases.
In order to solve such problem, it is effective to configure the later described radiation image capturing system of the present invention (see later described FIG. 1), in which a plurality of radiation image capturing apparatuses are positioned aligned in the body axis direction (see A in FIG. 1) of the subject and irradiation is irradiated only once (in other words, one shot) from the radiation irradiating apparatus to the radiation image capturing apparatus to capture a plurality of radiation images.
However, from the point of cost effectiveness, it is not easy to newly introduce in facilities such as a hospital a capturing stage to be dedicated to long length capturing provided with a plurality of radiation image capturing apparatuses in the body axis direction of the subject in advance. That is, such capturing stage is costly and the frequency of capturing long length capturing is not high compared to frequency of normal capturing (hereinafter, simple capturing) in which radiation is irradiated once from the radiation irradiating apparatus to one radiation image capturing apparatus.
Therefore, it is preferable to configure a radiation image capturing system in which long length capturing can be performed by using a bucky apparatus for long length capturing already provided in the facilities in which a plurality of CR (Computer Radiography) cassettes are loaded, or cheaply manufacturing a bucky apparatus for long length capturing and loading the necessary number in a portable (also called a cassette type) radiation image capturing apparatus. According to such configuration, the portable radiation image capturing apparatus which can be used in simple capturing which is the main operation in the radiology department can also be used for long length capturing. Therefore, it is possible to enhance cost effectiveness and capturing effectiveness of the entire radiation image capturing system of the radiology department.
However, according to such configuration, various defects may occur in the radiation image capturing system since both simple capturing and long length capturing can be performed using the same portable radiation image capturing apparatus.